April book of the month: I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson

Can you remember being 13? Kissing that poster on your bedroom wall? I Think I Love You is a sparklingly funny, insightful and moving story about a young girl who falls hopelessly in love with David Cassidy and, almost a quarter of a century later, with her life in pieces, finally gets to meet him.

By turns witty and melancholy, and littered with perfect 70's detail, I Think I Love You explores female friendship – from the brutal hierarchy of the teen years to the comfort and support provided by other women in later life - and examines the fierce, often conflicted bond between mothers and daughters.

Above all, it is a joyful and uplifting read that, as the Sunday Times put it, "does for the pop crush what Nick Hornby has done for football and vinyl".

An award-winning journalist, Allison Pearson was named newcomer of the year at the British Book Awards for her first novel, I Don't Know How She Does it, which has sold more than 3.5 million copies in 32 languages and is currently being made into a film starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Christina Hendricks.

Allison has written for, among others, the Independent on Sunday, Observer, Daily Mail and London Evening Standard. Allison is now a staff writer at the Daily Telegraph and lives in Cambridge with her family. Allison was a devoted David Cassidy fan and is the mother of a 14-year old girl who is obsessed with Twilight's Robert Pattinson.

Date for your diary

Allison is joining us for a chat on Tuesday 19 April, 8-9pm, hope you can too (and tell us all about your teenage crush).